I was 29 years old, teaching geography to my 7th-grade students that morning. The principal came over the intercom and called all 7th- and 8th-grade teachers to the foyer outside the gym. I remember thinking, “But we’re not supposed to leave our students in the classroom by themselves—big no-no!”

We made our way down the long hallway to where Principal Long was standing. He told us that one of the World Trade Center towers in New York had been hit by a plane, but at the moment did not know what would have caused it. Maybe a plane accidentally hit it or was it purposefully done? It was incomprehesible. We were instructed to go back to our classrooms, tell our students what had happened to the Trade Center and then continue with class.

I remember feeling like I was in a complete blur of confusion as I shared with my students. My mind racing as to what must have happened with the pilot. Later, we learned that a second plane had hit the other tower. At that point, we all knew it was an attack on the U.S. A mother of one of my students had been on a work trip and was traveling from New York to Memphis that morning, so that created some concern, as I calmed her. Not the same plane I told her and her mother would have been on an earlier flight.

To have witnessed something like this in my lifetime was both sobering and heartbreaking. It is hard to believe how long ago it was, it seems like yesterday, and yet I sometimes wonder how many people have forgotten—or perhaps never truly understood—the magnitude of that day.

This Friday is Patriot’s Day. Let’s take a moment to remember and honor all those who sacrificed their lives, all those who were lost, and the countless people whose lives were forever changed. Grab one of these lesson that will help your students grasp the events of that day.

We remember. We honor. We will never forget. 🇺🇸

Happy Teaching!
Martha & Will